Predators’ Depth Pieces Will Sway Stanley Cup Aspirations

The Nashville Predators have built a strong case for the most productive summer in the NHL by adding top defenseman Brady Skjei, scoring winger Jonathan Marchessault, and Tampa Bay Lightning legend Steven Stamkos. Each of the trio are set for a pivotal role in Nashville – headlined by the premier-scoring Stamkos’ rounding out of the team’s top line, next to Ryan O’Reilly and Filip Forsberg. The moves cost Nashville $20.5MM and could easily be enough to pull them back into the postseason, after missing the mark by three points last season. But the throws of the Toronto Maple Leafs have shown that teams can’t go far on the backs of just a few stars, and even with illustrious spending this summer, Nashville’s run to the franchise’s first Stanley Cup will ultimately sit with a largely unchanged depth.

That depth is most notably led by centerman Thomas Novak, who found consistency in Nashville’s third-line center role last season, after rivaling second-line minutes in 2022-23. A small decrease in ice time didn’t phase him, as he potted 18 goals and 45 points in 71 games – career-highs in all three stats, though a slight dip in per-game scoring from two seasons ago. Novak found a way to stick in the lineup through health and challenge last season – and now gets a chance to break his way into the team’s top six, assuming they choose to use Stamkos as a winger. If so, Novak would likely be flanked by productive wingers Gustav Nyquist and Marchessault, who could both provide a spark to Novak’s methodical style. While Nyquist’s longevity, and Marchessault’s change of scenery, will be notable storylines of their own this season – it will be Novak’s capability as a second-line center that will determine Nashville’s ability to deploy a top-line of superstars.

While Novak is fighting to round out the second line, Nashville’s bottom six will sit as a land of opportunity for a young core that, so far, hasn’t jumped off the page. Each of Cody Glass, Luke Evangelista, and Philip Tomasino have shown promise at the top flight but struggled to carve out a consistent role. Their place in Nashville is quickly being challenged by minor-league risers Juuso Parssinen, Zachary L’Heureux, Joakim Kemell, and Fyodor Svechkov. The quartet stands as the prospects to watch in Nashville’s upcoming training camp and could each vie for a hardy shot at the NHL this fall. Which young forwards win out the competition for ice time will underline…